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METALWORKING CONNECTION, INC.

Organization Directory Page

• Organization description

• Source of official student records

• Titles of all evaluated learning experiences

• Descriptions and credit recommendations

The Metalworking Connection is a non-profit corporation comprised of 150 companies located in the State of Arkansas. It administers apprenticeship programs that train craftsmen in accordance with industry standards. The programs are designed to offer on-the-job training with classroom technical support.

Source of official student records: Executive Director, Metalworking Connection, Inc., P.O. Box 537, Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71923.

Titles of all evaluated learning experiences

Machinist Apprenticeship Program

Descriptions and credit recommendations

Machinist Apprenticeship Program
Location: Various approved facilities throughout the State of Arkansas.
Length: 640 hours (160 hours each year for 4 years); in addition, 8000 of supervised on-the-job training.
Dates: June 1993 - December 2005.
Objectives: The four-year Machinist Apprenticeship Program covers several major areas that are comparable to areas covered in related degree programs. Mathematics: Use the formulas found in the instructional materials and reference books to assist in the common everyday problems encountered in machine work; apply geometry and trigonometry to the problems, as needed, to solve them and make work quicker and easier; do the calculations necessary to set up sine bars, figure axis dimensioning for jig boring operations, use the rotary table and dividing head, cutting tapers and gears, and discuss the math required for understanding CNC programs. Blueprint reading: Read and interpret mechanical drawings and blueprints with respect to line usage, notes and technical symbols, and determining dimensioning and tolerancing. Basic Machine Shop: Identify, care, and use hand tools and precision measuring instruments and setup tools in the process of constructing parts; operate utility grinders, power saws, drill presses, engine lathes, and milling machines. Basic Lathe Technology: Setup, care, and operate the engine lathe and its accessories; discuss the construction, setup, and use of the metal turning lathe; discuss the theory of turning on the engine lathe, including such operations as turning, boring, tapering, threading, drilling, and tapping; select, grind, and set up cutting tools used in these operations, including both high speed steel and carbide tools. Basic Milling Technology: Setup, care, and operate vertical and horizontal milling machines and their accessories; use standard and special cutters; apply methods of holding them in the machine; use correct cutter speeds and table feeds, the particular techniques involved in cutting different shapes and types of metals, and holding the work; bore holes using an adjustable boring head and cut keyseats and drill hole patterns using both jig boring procedures and use of the rotary table; produce a part from a blueprint. Manufacturing materials/metallurgy: Identify the characteristic properties, differences in crystals and grains, grain boundaries, cooling rates, and terminology of metals; identify steel using SAE and AISI coding systems and using various basic tests; identify the elements in plain carbon steel, the classes, characteristics, properties, and application of carbon steel; identify how carbon affects the hardening of steel, recommended heat treatments, temperatures required, cooling rates, and effects of alloying; identify common quenching mediums; select proper mediums; apply agitation principles to mediums; discuss the purpose of tempering, the process involved, proper temperature and time to temper; identify the effect of casehardening, flame-hardening, induction hardening, the processes, and the safety precautions for each; describe the use of carbide as a cutting tool, different grades, methods used to manufacture carbides and advantages; describe the different applications, properties, grades, types, and geometry of carbide drills and turning tools; identify the classification of tool steels, general characteristics, effects of alloying elements, application, forms, commercial and trade names; identify the typical alloying elements used in tool steels; identify the heat treating operations used for tool steels; identify and describe the instruments used for heat treating operations; describe the various types of hardness tests and tensile strength tests performed on tool steels. Advanced Machine Shop: Work from drawings, specifications, programming and setup instructions and data; install program tape and/or cards in console reader and correlate machine position with control; manually cycle machine through operation sequence to check fixture and work alignment, tooling sequences, clearances, speeds, feeds, etc. and adjust machine to correct deviations from program specifications; plan and perform diversified machining operations to produce tool, die, fixture, and gauge components having close and exacting tolerances and finish requirements, interrelated dimensions, formed sections and contours requiring a working knowledge of machining methods, techniques, and operating skills; set up, adjust, and operate several machine tools on standardized work where setup detail and operating procedures are prescribed; operate and maintain setups on special and single-purpose machines where operations may involve several progressive machining sequences; discuss the electrical discharge machine (EDM) process, terminology, application, advantages, and types of electrodes and materials. Introduction to Computer Numerical Control (CNC): Describe a part from a blueprint using the standard G code system in order to understand how to operate the controls of the CNC machine; set up and operate computer numerically controlled machines to perform multiple machining operations on repetitive work to close and exacting tolerances and finish specifications; working from a program, operational data, and setup instructions, define and code tool arrangements, install fixtures and/or material clamping methods, adjust machine calibration and console settings for operations such as boring, milling, drilling, threading, and occasional profiling and contouring; recognize and report technical variations in program and operational sequences, tool settings, dimensional and finish deviations and assist with or individually make corrective adjustments within prescribed limits.
Instruction: The four-year Machinist Apprenticeship Program covers several major areas that are comparable to areas covered in related degree programs. Mathematics: Fractions; decimals; formulas-rules; formulas-powers, equations and expressions; lines, curves, and angles; axioms; propositions; right triangle; sine; cosine; tangent; square roots; pythagorean theorem; area; cubic measurement; hole location; speed and feed calculator; triangles and laws of sine and cosine; trigonometry; sine bar calculations; helix angles; triangles; indexing calculations. Blueprint Reading: Orthographic projection principles; line projections; auxiliary views; sectional views; dimensioning; reading dimensions; metric measurement; reading metric drawings; reading two-dimensions drawings; machine drawings; casting drawing and assembly drawing; sheet metal part prints; reading gage drawing; welded assembly drawing; reading jig and fixture prints; reading prints of machining fixtures; reading prints of machined castings; miscellaneous drawings and prints; die prints and part prints; templates and gages; layout; geometric tolerancing; geometric characteristics and symbols; datums; datum targets; conditional modifiers; form tolerances for single features; orientation tolerances; runout; location tolerancing; position tolerancing. Basic Machine Shop: Shop safety; relative motions; cutting fluids; saws and sawing; drill press; drill bits; reamers and drilling operations; steel rules; steel rules and transfer tools; micrometers; vernier instruments; bevel protractor; indicators; gage blocks and sine bar; noncutting tools; cutting tools; sawing terminology; power hacksaws; sawing practices; speeds and feeds; saw blade preparation and circular saws; bench and pedestal grinder. Basic Lathe Technology: Care and safety; types and functions; cutting tools/fluid; accessories and workhold devices; selecting speeds and feeds; facing, turning, and boring; threading; auxiliary tooling; care and safety of grinding machines; types and uses; grinding wheels; mounting, checking, and dressing; grinding lathe tools; grinding twist drills; lathe safety and sizing; types of operations and workholding methods; speeds and feeds; tool materials and grinding; alignment and use of centers; facing; parallel turning and knurling; chasing external threads; boring; chasing internal threads; taper turning; drilling and reaming; counterboring and countersinking; grooving and parting; filing and polishing; grinding; steady and follower rest; future trends. Basic Milling Technology: Horizontal and vertical milling machines; attachments; speeds and feeds; cutter operations; indicating workholding devices of horizontal milling; plain, slab, and face milling; end and side milling; straddle, gang, slitting; form; gear cutting; indicating workholding devices of vertical milling; face, side, and slitting; end milling; form milling; indexing a workpiece; rotary table; drill, reaming, and tapping; boring; milling keyseats; hole location; jigs and fixtures: support and locating principles; clamp and workholding; basic construction; developing initial design. Manufacturing materials/metallurgy: Physical metallurgy; properties of metals; iron carbon constitutional; steel classifications: basic tests; plain steel carbon; how carbon affects steel; introduction to heat treating; quenching mediums: tempering, annealing, hardening; casehard and special heat treating; alloy steels and stainless steel; aluminum and aluminum alloys; magnesium and magnesium alloys; copper and copper alloys; other nonferrous metals; cast irons; powder metallurgy; history and advantages of carbide tooling; indexable inserts; drilling with carbides; milling with carbides; turning with carbides; other tool applications of carbide; coated carbides; tool steel terms; analysis, soundness, and character; matched methods; applications and character; determining the best tool steel; heat treating methods; mechanical testing; design in relation to heat treating; furnace atmosphere and time requirements; trouble shooting heat treating. Advanced Machine Shop: Continuation of machine shop topics, which are dispersed across the other subject areas within this section; in addition; abrasives: types, wheel composition, and grinding wheel; coated abrasives; wheel preparation: grinding fluids, safety, selection, and surface finish; surface: form grinding; mounting work; flat; edges and vertical; cutoff; and angular; surface grinding/accessories and maintenance; cylindrical grinding: safety, cylindrical external, and cylindrical shoulder/plunge; tool and cutter grinding: type and maintenance, nomenclature, chucking, sharpening, sharpening endmills; centerless types and safety; centerless grinding methods; turret lathes: types and parts; standard tooling; internal operations; external operations; electrical discharge machine (EDM); using EDM; the EDM process; principal elements; basic operating principles; electrode materials; dielectrics; wire electric discharge. Introduction to Computer Numerical Control (CNC): Introduction to numerical control; definition of XYZ; language codes; tape formats; binary numbering system; tape channels; tape readers; NC installation and operation; advantages of numerical control; tape: controlling medium; point to point manual; contour manual part; CNC part programming; computer aided part programming; organizing for numerical control; basic operations of CAD/CAM; coordinate system; accuracy, repeatability, and resolution; hardware, software, CRT terminal; digitizer; pen plotter and hard copy unit; the processor and printer; lettering; linework; scaling; drawing manipulation; dimensioning; coordinate systems; control systems; hardware and software; functions controlled by CNC; computer numerical control machines.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/ associate degree category, up to 27 semester hours in Machine Tool Technology and related disciplines. The number of credits awarded will depend upon the emphasis placed on Machining within the degree program. A suggested distribution is as follows: 3 semester hours in Technical Mathematics/Machine Shop Mathematics, 3 semester hours in Blueprint Reading, 4 semester hours in Basic Machine Shop, 3 semester hours in Basic Lathe Technology, 3 semester hours in Basic Milling Technology, 3 semester hours in Manufacturing Materials/Metallurgy, 4 semester hours in Advanced Machine Shop, and 4 semester hours in Computer Numerical Controls (11/97). NOTE: This is an integrated learning experience, therefore, the entire four-year apprenticeship program must be completed to receive credit.

Updated 1/17/06

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